Free Republic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Washington D.C. – Just months after securing an $18 million judgment against Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue, news broke that Cecile Richards is suffering from terminal brain cancer. Jesus exhorted his followers to “love our enemies” and “pray for those who persecute us.” With that sentiment, Operation Rescue is asking all followers of Jesus to pray for the healing and salvation of Planned Parenthood’s former chief executive. When the groundbreaking Center for Medical Progress (CMP) videos hit the news in 2015, revealing Planned Parenthood’s illegal sale of baby body parts, Cecile Richards was President of Planned...

Barbara Pierce Bush, the daughter of former President George W. Bush, will be the keynote speaker at Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas' annual Fort Worth luncheon. Barbara Pierce Bush, the daughter of former President George W. Bush, will headline a Planned Parenthood fundraiser in North Texas on Wednesday.   She will be the keynote speaker at Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas' annual Fort Worth luncheon, helping to raise money for an organization that provides an array of reproductive and sexual health services, including abortions. Bush's public appearance before the group is striking, given that her father, President George W. Bush, was...

Yesterday was a tough day for Planned Parenthood’s chief executive officer Cecile Richards (daughter of former Texas Governor Ann Richards). In addition to a grilling on the shocking videos (she denied everything – it was all “doctored” even though complete unedited versions of the tapes were available), her lavish half million dollar-plus salary, first class travel and parties, and PP’s $127 million “surplus” (don’t call it a profit because PP is a non-profit, doncha know), she managed to get herself caught in a lie.  The organization stoutly maintains that only 3% of its services constitute abortions, as if it...

The Sept. 18 Molly Ivins column lauded former, and now deceased, Texas Gov. Ann Richards. Ivins wrote: "Annie told the Texas Legislature that if it passed a right-to-carry law, she would veto it. They did and she did." Yes, Richards vetoed the law. A few weeks later in Texas, at a Luby's Restaurant, a crazed gunman shot 17 or 19 Texans who were disarmed by Richards' veto, but the same veto did not disarm the crazed gunman. Ivins makes a joke about Richards saying that a Texas woman wouldn't be able to find a handgun in her handbag. Well, there...

Former President Clinton tearfully escorted a flag-draped casket Saturday carrying former Gov. Ann Richards into the state Capitol, where she will spend the next two days lying in state before her funeral and burial.

AUSTIN _ Former Gov. Ann Richards was laid to rest Monday morning after a private ceremony at the Texas State Cemetery. Her family and close friends were there, including actress/comedian Lily Tomlin. "As one would imagine, it was a generally light-hearted affair," said Bill Cryer, Richards’ press secretary during her years as governor from 1991-1995. The burial ceremony preceeded a sweeping memorial at the Frank Erwin Center on the University of Texas at Austin campus, where speakers were to include U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk and columnist Liz Smith, a longtime Richards friend. By 10:15 a.m.,...

Dignity: Maybe it's because his father was born with a silver foot in his mouth that President Bush learned to be gracious to even his most bitter political rivals....He's been called a moron (former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien), a Beelzebub (Sean Penn, who cleverly added, "and a dumb one") and a son of a bitch (Democrat Paul Hackett, who lost his bid last year for an Ohio congressional seat)....lying bastard, evil maniac, Fuehrer (all courtesy of Cindy Sheehan), white-knuckle drunk (Martin Sheen), George bin Bush (assorted wags), terrorist (a universal invective) and fascist (both implied and claimed by a...

Karl Rove's cutthroat tactics eventually defeated her, but not before Ann Richards made a huge impact on American politics."Welcome to the first day of the new Texas!" Ann Richards growled into a microphone as she began her 1991 inaugural address. She had just led a parade of supporters north on Congress Avenue, something of a fifth column moving on the Capitol. She had promised them she would use a pair of bolt cutters to open the gates of the Greek-revival governor's mansion to "the people" of Texas. "The people" were blacks, Hispanics, gays and lesbians, along with the shrinking Anglo...

AUSTIN — Former President Bill Clinton tearfully escorted a flag-draped casket today carrying ex-Gov. Ann Richards into the state Capitol, where she will spend the next two days lying in state before her funeral and burial. ADVERTISEMENT Clinton delivered poignant and at times funny recollections of the woman he called "spontaneous, unedited, earthy, hilarious." He told mourners about a lunch he once shared in New York with Richards and a group that included comedians Billy Crystal and Robin Williams. "I thought to myself, I bet this is the only time in their entire lives, that Billy Crystal and Robin Williams...

Bush: "Texas has lost one of its great daughters" WASHINGTON President Bush has paid tribute today to Ann Richards, whom he ousted and succeeded as governor in 1995. The former Democratic governor of Texas died last night at her Austin home after a battle against esophageal cancer. She was 73. In a statement issued by the White House, the president said he and first lady Laura Bush "are deeply saddened by the passing of Governor Ann Richards of Texas." He said Richards "loved Texas, and Texans loved her," and that "as a public servant she earned respect and admiration." The...

This just crossed my desk... AUSTIN (AP) -- A family spokeswoman says former Texas Gov. Ann Richards has died at her home.

AUSTIN – Former Gov. Ann Richards said Tuesday that she is undergoing chemotherapy that periodically saps her energy but is optimistic about recovery and confident she will conquer cancer of the esophagus. "There is no doubt in my mind I will recover from this," she said. "I feel really positive about it." In her first detailed public discussion about last month's cancer diagnosis, Ms. Richards, 72, said doctors would review her condition after three more weeks of chemotherapy before deciding the next step, which could include radiation or surgery. She looked strong and upbeat as she talked with reporters. Ms....

CECILE RICHARDS, the new and instantly embattled president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, would like those retro "folks" — her word — intent on knocking her organization, and the entire abortion rights movement, off the map to know she takes after her maternal grandmother That would be the tall, whip-thin woman who, nine-months pregnant and bedridden, took a timeout from home-birthing a future governor of Texas — Ms. Richards's mother, Ann — to wring the neck of the chicken her family was having for dinner. Plucky. "I love the idea of that story, and I'm sure it's true,"...

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Former Gov. Ann Richards said Wednesday she has cancer of the esophagus and will undergo treatment at the world-renowned M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Richards, 72, went in for tests Monday and got the diagnosis Tuesday, said spokesman Bill Maddox. Maddox said the former governor is waiting to hear from M.D. Anderson how advanced the cancer is and what her chances are. "She's facing this challenge," Maddox said. Richards, a Democrat, was governor from 1991 to 1995, losing a re-election bid to George W. Bush. Since 2001, she has been an adviser at a public...

"Diane Sawyer dropped by for a kiss and a hello. She was fresh from her chores filling in on ABC’s “World News Tonight” and said her stint on air with Elizabeth Vargas had been “refreshing and very exciting.” Another hit of the night was Cecile Richards, tall, blond and handsome, now moved to Manhattan to oversee Planned Parenthood. We had a reunion as we are pals via her famous mother, former Texas Gov. Ann Richards. Cecile and her wonderful family are going to be a great addition to New York. Documentary maker Alexandra Pelosi, the daughter of Nancy Pelosi, the...

Did you really believe we’re too stupid to see, How you tried to deceive us with smug sophistry? Did you actually think we’d accept without thinking, That our ship of state’s hulled, our economy’s sinking? We saw how with help from your media tools, You picked just the right captain for your ship of fools. With your Cambodian Admiral at the helm of your boat You needed an ocean of lies just to keep him afloat. You put forward no spokesman with a true honest voice And offered the voters no acceptable choice. Your party got “jacked” by the loons...

Bush will prevail Americans are smart enough not to buy Democrats' rants By Paul Jackson -- Calgary Sun HOUSTON --This state really is the heartbeat of America, just as Alberta is the heartbeat of Canada. Trouble is, the Democrats here recognize Texas' economic vitality and moral values no more than the Liberals recognize Alberta's economic vitality and moral values. That's why both Democrats and Liberals respectively demean Texas and Alberta at every opportunity. We threaten their amoral way of life. The Democrats try to paint a caricature of President George W. Bush in much the same way the Liberals did...

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is coming to Connecticut to throw her support behind Fourth Congressional District candidate Diane Farrell. Clinton will attend an Oct. 3 reception in Westport for Farrell. Tickets are going for $125 apiece. The fund-raiser is a part of the campaign's Women for Farrell initiative. Former Texas Governor Ann Richards is scheduled to attend an Oct. 15 reception for Farrell at a private home in Stamford. Farrell is the first selectman of Westport. Her challenge is considered the toughest Republican Christopher Shays has faced in his 17 years in office. National...

...Now come these curiously timed indictments from Mr. Earle's office. Just six weeks before an election, he charges a trio of DeLay associates with illegal fund-raising activities in connection with Texans for a Republican Majority, a political action committee founded by Mr. DeLay in 2002. Of course, Mr. DeLay himself isn't named in the indictments and by Mr. Earle's own reckoning isn't even a target of the investigation. But don't think those minor details will stop the prosecutor and the media from mentioning the Majority Leader's name in connection with the case as often as possible between now and November....

[Robin] Rather, who was chairwoman of the Save Our Springs Alliance at the time the peace pipe was passed around in 1999, says it's been a long time since business and environmental leaders have discussed major issues. "It's obviously long overdue," Rather says. "I hope it will be productive." Rather has been one of the more vocal critics of Real Estate Council of Austin] RECA and the Austin..[Chamber of Commerce] over the past year. Rather says she hopes dialogue will help those involved "get back to respecting and liking each other as human beings." "I'm very confident that once we...